There's a Record Number of Women as Family Breadwinners in the U.S., but Not Everyone Is Happy About It

She bakes, she works, and she carries two heavy bags on one arm? I'm impressed.

While we may still have an unfortunate pay gap, recent research shows that women are much closer to an equal status as supporters of their families. According to the Pew Research Center, four in 10 American households with children now have a mother who is either the sole or primary earner for the family. That's four times as many female breadwinners as in 1960 and pretty close to half of families. That actually seems like good news for everybody, right?

Maybe not.

Most Americans are fine with the idea of a woman out-earning her partner. Only 28 percent of people agreed that it is "generally better for a marriage if the husband earns more than his wife." But public opinion isn't nearly so positive when it comes to women who are also mothers. Half of Americans say children are better off with their mothers at home (but only 8 percent say the same about fathers), and well, it's pretty difficult to be the primary breadwinner from home.

And you know who really doesn't like the idea of working mothers providing for their families? Some men over at Fox. An all-male panel recently discussed this new research in a clip so absurd, it might as well be a Saturday Night Live sketch. Here are a few phrases they used:

So, those guys are clearly opposed. They don't speak for all men, certainly, and men's opinions are relevant to this discussion, but you know who they forgot to include in their discussion? Women. Any single woman.

The guys over at Fox seem to be primarily concerned about wounding men's egos and affecting social order. Evidently, because of "science," it's really bad if guys can't assert their dominance, and boohoo, that is really sad and all. But let's break down what this really means for women (and men who can think beyond their egos)...

First, what's great: It's more accepted for women to work, more women than ever (and more women than men, actually) are getting college degrees, and when a married woman is the primary breadwinner, her household has an average income tens of thousands of dollars above the average. Way to go, lady breadwinners!

What's not so great? Men have been hit harder by the recession, which makes it harder for some families to earn enough to live comfortably, and oh yeah, people don't seem to approve of working moms single-handedly taking care of their families.

Regardless of Fox news correspondents or other public opinion on working moms, for many of these families, an at-home mom might not be an option. Even in two-parent homes, both incomes might be necessary, but nearly two-thirds of the female breadwinners are single mothers. As opposed to the woman being the primary earner in a two-parent household, a a single mother's median income is much lower at $23,000. In addition to the monetary difficulties, 64 percent of Americans said the number of children born to unmarried mothers is a “big problem”. That's down from 71 percent in 2007, but it's still a pretty high level of disapproval.

And it's not necessarily smooth sailing for married women either. Women who are the primary breadwinner actually report less satisfaction in their marriages, possibly because when the wife brings in more money, couples often revert to more stereotypical gender roles with the woman taking on the larger role in child care and housework so as to not seem threatening to her lower-earning husband. In fact, women with higher education and earning potential are actually less likely to work if there is a big risk they will out-earn their husbands.

When women were asked about the subject (again, no thanks to those Fox guys), they didn't say they hated making money or couldn't stand their "submissive" husbands. Instead, they talked about needing better maternity leave to support the women who were supporting their families, about their husbands not taking on enough responsibilities at home while they were working, and about the difficulties of being a single mom. If women are going to keep bringing home the bacon—and I think we are—it's time to discuss the realistic ways to make it work better for everyone and stop wasting time crying over men's waning dominance.

And what do the women here on Glamour.com think about it? Are you a primary breadwinner? What challenges do you face? Do you think there's a downside to women supporting their families?

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Gena KaufmanRelationships writer. Lawyer turned writer who believes that when your love life hands you lemons, you should quit your job, move home, and share your dating mishaps on the Internet.